Fumigating-cover



A.'W. MORRILL.

FUMIGATING COVER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 3, 1920.

1,372,974. Patented Mar. 29, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

Suva whoa A. W. MORRILL.

FUMIGATING COVER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 3. 1920.

1,372,974, Patented Mar.29,1 921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

T 7 i wvwwtoz 11411 10017144 "zaflktoww1ga A. W. MORRILL.

FUMIGATING COVER.

APPLICATlON FILED JAN. 3. 1920.

1,372,974. Patented Mar. 29,1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

awuawi'oz UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FUMIGATING-COVER.

Application filed January 3, 1920.

T all 10 hum it may concern Be it known that I, AUSTIN W. Monnrnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, Los Angeles county, State of California, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Fumigating-Covers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to an improvement in the box type of fumigating cover for use in fumigating trees, more particularly trees of small and medium sizes, and has for its object the provision of a gastight or practically gas-tight cover of known cubical capacity, which can be more readily changed from one tree to another and can be made ready for the treatmentwith less time and effort than box style covers heretofore in use.

The following is a description of an embodiment of my invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 represents an end view of my cover, the two ends being preferably the same in construction and appearance;

Fig. 1* is a detail;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a portion of the cover;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a portion of the cover with the curtain extended in abnormal position to show the connection between the edges thereof and the sides of the body of the cover;

F ig. 4: is a vertical section on the line 47-41:,

' Fig. 2, with the curtain in normal position;

and

Fig. 5 is a perspective of the framework of the cover.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the device is of box type and composed oftwo vertical sides 1-1 connected by a top 2 forming a tunnel-like body portion, and curtains 3 at each end, whose edges are joined by webs 4 extending from the edges 5 of the curtain 3 to the edges 6 of the side portions 1-1. The sides and top of the tunnel portion are provided with the open ended framework shown in Fig. 5, consisting of uprights 7 connected by cross-pieces 8, 8 and 9, the side members having braces 10. The ends may be provided with braces 10' located at their upper portions so as not to interfere with the open ends of the frame. The tunnel portion with the curtains thus forms a box-like container whose capacity can be determined with approximate accur- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 29, 1921.

Serial No. 349,317.

acy. Connected to the uprights 7 are two bars 11, the ends of which constitute handles so that the tunnel portion with its end closures can be easily lifted by having one man at each handle. This frame work is-provided at its four upper corners with pulleys l2 and at points intermediate of its sides with double pulleys 13. Before or after these pulleys 12 and 13 are put in place, the top and two opposite sides of the framework are covered with canvas or other material which will be impervious to the fumigating gases, the same being preferably perms nently secured at its edges to the frame. The ends of the tunnel-like structure thus formed are provided with curtains 3, the tops of which are secured to the top edges of the tunnel and the side edges 5 of which are connected to the vertical edges 6 of the ends of the tunnel by webs 1, as heretofore described. The curtains are provided with guiderings lat through which pass ropes 15 connected at their lower ends 16 to a wooden bar 17, which is connected to the lower end of the curtain 3. These ropes 15 pass up ward around the pulleys 12 and over the respective pulleys of the double pulleys 13 and the ends are then brought down and secured to cleats 18 upon the bars 11.

The webs 4 are of such shape and din1ensions that the length of the lower edge of the web connecting the lower end of the side 1 with the lower end of the curtain 3 is approximately as long, if not longer, than the height of the sides 1. This enables the curtain 3 to be raised vertically by means of the ropes 15 to substantially the top of the tunnel portion of the cover, and yet when the curtain is lowered all openings in L the box-like cover will be closed except the opening between the bottom of the sides and curtain and the ground, since the free edges of the cover will be adjacent to the ground, thus providing a box cover which will retain to a high degree all fumigating gases introduced or formed therein.

The web 4; is shown in normal position in Fig. 1 when the curtain is lowered. The position of the curtain in is abnormal, being pulled out to show the connections between the web and the edges of the curtain and body portion.

In the use of this device as thus described, one of the curtains 3 is first raised and the device is then moved over the tree to be fumigated. The raised curtain is then lowered and the fumigating charge introduced. Because the device is non-collapsible and maintains its shape, its cubic capacity can be closely calculated and the proper amount of fumigating charge can be determined and introduced. After the tree has been fumi gated, the device can then be easily moved to another tree by raising the lowered curtain. If the trees are in a row, both curtains are raised, whereupon the device by a movement in one direction can be moved away from one tree to the next succeeding tree of thesame row, whereupon after lowering both curtains the fumigating process can be repeated, so that any number of trees in a given row can be treated without re versing or even turning the device through any angle.

In order to adapt the device for use with trees of different heights, I provide extensions 19 which can be secured by bolts 20 to the uprights T of the frame in any one of a plurality of positions, thus raising the frame a corresponding amount. In order that the side wa-lls of the tunnel may be extended accordingly, I provide the side portions with integral extensions 21 which can be drawn down so as to reach the ground when the legs 19 are attached. These extensions when the legs are removed are preferably held in folded position by canvas strips 22 attached to the side frames. The lower ends of the webs t extend to the lower ends of these sections and are secured thereto, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, and the curtains 5 are of such length that when they are fully lowered they will come in contact with the ground, even when the frame is supported by the supplemental legs 19. The fumigating cover is thus a tight box-like cover, except for the opening adjacent to the ground, both in its extended and shortened condition.

In order to support the upper bend of the side folds 21, I preferably secure to the inside of the ca vas at that point a strip of scantling 23, which carries buttons 2% which are engaged by the can *as strips 22, as shown in enlarged detail in Fig. 1

I From'the foregoing it will be seen-that the'cover above described is practically a gas-tight box-like cover; that it also can be made of a known cubical capacity and that it can be readily changed from one tree to another and can quickly and easily be made rea'dy'for treatment, so that the above named objects of my invention are accomplished.

I prefer to have the frame open at both ends so as to be ,U-shaped as shown, and to have a curtain at each end so as to be able to treat rows of trees by moving the device in one direction only, as above described.

While I prefer to use the webs permanently connecting the edges of the curtains to the vertical edges of the body portion of the cover, these may in some instances be omitted, provided other means are used for securing those edges so as to prevent the escape of gas between those edges when the device is in use.

its will be evident to those skilled in the art, my invention permits of various niodiiications without departing from the spirit thereof or the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a fumigating device, the combination of a. frame having an open end, a cover carried by said frame and approximately conforming to the shape thereof so as to form a. device of the box type, said cover being permanently secured to the two opposite sides of said f ame, and means can ried by said frame for raising a portion of the cover at said open end to permitthe placing of said frame about the object to be fumigated, the free edges of said cover when in use being adjacent to the ground.

2. In a box type fumigating device. the combination with a body portion having a supporting f'ame open at one end and a cover for the other end and the top and sides of said frame, of a curtain for said open end of said frame, and means for preventing the escape of gas when the device is in use between the sides of said curtain and the upwardly extending edges of the sides of said body portion which are. adjacent to said curtain when in lowered position, and means for raising and lowering said curtain.

8. In a box type fumigating device, the combination with a body portion having a supporting frame open at one end and a cover for the other end and the top and sides of said frame, of a curtain for said open end of said frame, and webs connecting the edges of said curtain with the upwardly extending edges of the sides of said body portion which are adjacent to said curtain when in lowered position. and means for raising and lowering said curtain.

4. In a finnigating device, the combination of a U-shaped frame open at both ends, a cover having its free edges adapted to extend substantially to the ground on all sides of said frame and conforming approximately to the shape of said frame, said cover being permanently secured to the two opposite sides of said frame. and means carried by said frame for raising from the ground the portions of said cover at said ends of said U-shaped frame.

5. In a fumigating device, the combination of av tunnel-like body portion having a supporting frame, curtains covering the ends of said tunnel-like portion and webs connecting the edges of said curtains with the upwardly extending edges of the openings of the tunne1-like portion, and means for raising said curtains.

6. In a box type fumigating device, the combination with a body portion havin a supporting frame open at one end an a cover for the other end and the top and sides of said frame, of a curtain for said open end of said frame, and webs connect- 10 ing the edges of said curtain with the upwardly extendin edges of the sides of said body portion W ich are adjacent to said curtain when in lowered position, means for raising and lowering said curtain, and means for downwardly extending the sides of said frame and said covering so as to vary the hei ht of said fumigating device, said curtain aving a length corresponding to said extended height.

AUSTIN W. MORRILL. 

